Dispensing device



Oct.- 31, 1933. w G. WATKINS DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Jan. 19, 1932 2Sheets-Sheet, l

Oct. 3l, 1933.

'w. G. wATKlNs 1,933,198

DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Jan. 19, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 31,1933 PATENT oF1-1cE DISPENSING DEVICE Walter G. Watkins, Kansas City,Mo., assigner toSkelly Oil Company, El Dorado, Kans.

Application January 19, 1932. serial No. 587,602

1'2 claims.

My invention consists in new and useful im provements in a method ofdistribution and apparatus for supplying lquened petroleum gas or likeuid to consumers for heating and cooking purposes.

A11 object o f my invention is to provide apparatus which will enablestandard equipment such asgas cylinders, valves and regulators to beemployed rst for demonstration and later in- ,iii stalled as permanentequipment. To this end I provide a cylinder support which isadapted toaccommodate gas cylinders of varying standard sizes, and equipped withprotectors for the main valve and for the pressure and flow regulator,

'l5 whereby when the installation is made either for demonstrationpurposes or as permanent equipment, the valve and regulator cannot betampered with.

A further object of my invention resides in the structure of the valveand regulator protecting elements which are readily removable for thepurpose of inspection or adjustment but which are adapted to be lockedrmly in place after once being adjusted.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, my invention consists in the novel features hereinset forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and moreparticularly pointed. out in au the appended claims. 4

Referring to the drawings in which numerals of like character designatesimilar parts throughout the several views, y

Fig. l is a view in side elevation showing the support installed aspermanent equipment, withy a cylinder in place.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the upper portion of the equipment shown inFig. l.

Fig; 3 is a top plan view 'of the same.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective of the pressure regulator hood orclosure.

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of apparatus installed fordemonstration and also shows a modified form of valve and regulatorprotecting devices.

Fig. 6 is a rear view of this modified form.

Fig. I is a top plan view of the same,^and

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the modiiied form oi regulatorhood or closure.

In the drawings, referring to the form of my invention illustrated inFigs. 1 to 4, 1 represents an upright support preferably composed of alength of channel iron, the lower extremity of which is adapted to )zedriven into the ground outside of a dwelling or other building to whichill gas is to be supplied. In the case of a peru/1anent installation asshown in Fig. 1, a base of concrete 2 is poured around the upright 1 andforms a foundation for the gas cylinder 3.

The gas or other iiuid containing cylinder 3 60, may be of anystandardtype or design having a main control valve 4 at its upperextremity which is connected to a pressure regulator 5 by means of aiiexible conduit 6. llt will also be noted that the pressure regulatormay be of any suitable design, that shown in the drawings consisting ofa diaphragm chamber 7 and adjusting means 8. The regulator 5 is in turnconnected to a pipe line 9 which leads into the dwelling or to the pointwhere the gas is to be utilized.

10 represents a valve hood or cover which is carried at the end of asuitable yoke 11, the latter slidably embracing the upper end of theupright 1 and being retained in its proper relative position by means ofinturned vlugs or guides l2, formed on the yoke adjacent the front faceof the channel as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The end of the channel iron 1above the lowermost position of the yoke 11 is provided with a pluralityof apertures 13 for the accommodation of a padlock or the like 14,whereby when the hood 10 is 4placed over the valve 4, the yoke 11 may belocked in this position. l

The upper extremity of the channel iron 1 is preferably provided withnotches 15 in its front face, said notches acting in co-operation withthe lugs 12 to support the yoke 11 in its uppermost position when acylinder is being installed as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

16 designates a protector 'for the diaphragm chamber '7 and adjustingmember 8 of the pressure regulator 5, and consists1 of a suitably shapedhood member having secured to its upper portion a bowed strip l'whichterminates at its free extremity in the bifurcated end 18. At the properpoint in the upright channel iron l, I provide complementary apertures19 through which the bifurcations 18 are adapted to be inserted as.shown in Fig. 1 which not only retains the hood in place but acts in thecapacity 'of a hinge for the protector 16. On the lower side of the hood16 I provide' a second strip 20 secured to the hood by suitable meanssuch as rivets or Welding, (Fig. 4) its free end being apertured as at21 to accommodate the connection 22 on the end of the pipe line 9,

whereby when said pipe line is connected to the regulator 5, theconnection 22 extending through the aperture 21 locks the hood or pro-110 tector 16 in place over the diaphragmchamber and adjusting element.

In order to retain the bottom of the tank in place I preferably providea transverse support 23 which is secured by any suitable means to thelower portion of the upright channel iron 1 and is adapted to bepartially set in the concrete base 2 as clearly shown in. Fig. 1. Theupper face of thev support 23 is grooved as at 24, said grooved portionprojecting upwardly above the upper surface of the concrete base,whereby the conventional bead 25 extending around the bottom of thecylinder 3 is received and supported.

It will be .noted that the series of superposed apertures 13 in upright1 permits the accommodation of cylinders of varying height, and byproviding an oversized groove 24 in the base support 23, cylinders ofvarying diameters as well may be employed. Of course, by using a longerarm or yoke 11, it would be possible to take larger diameter cylindersand by substituting a shorter arm, a smaller diameter cylinder may beaccommodated.

In the modied form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 5 to 8, thegeneral structure is ostensibly the same as that heretofore describedwith the exception of the specific arrangement of the valve andregulator protectors. In Fig. 5 .I have shown for the purpose ofillustration, an installation for demonstration wherein the uprightchannel iron 1 is driven into the ground at its lower end with the basesupport 23 projecting slightly above the surface of the ground. In thisarrangement there is no concrete base and the bottom of the cylinder 3rests directly upon .the ground, being retained in place by the basesupport 23 on the upright channel iron.

The protecting hood 26 for the valve 4 at the upper end of the cylinderis carried by a supporting yoke 27 which is hinged or pivoted as at 28to the upper end of the channel iron 1, at least one wall of said yokebeing elongated and terminating in a downwardly extending angular plate29, the lower extremity of which is provided with an aperture 30 adaptedto register with a complementary aperture 31 in one of the .wardly onits hinge.

transverse walls of the channel iron to accommodate a suitable padlockor the like 32.

In this modiied form of my invention the valve 4 is connected to thepressure regulator 5 by the flexible connection 6, saidregulator beingin turn connected into the dwelling or other point of utilization of thegas by a flexible hose 33. e

The modied pressure regulator protector 34 l `consists of a suitablyshaped hood for enclosing the diaphragm chamber 7 and adjuster .8, the

walls 35 of said hood extending inwardly and completely enclosing theregulator 5.k The lower extremity of the wall 35 is hinged or pivoted asat 3B to the upright channel iron'l, said wall beingslotted as at' 37immediately adjacent the hinge to accommodate the connection 38 and thehose 33 when said protector is swung down- The. upper portion ofthe wall35 terminates in a vertically extending neck 39, .one side of which isapertured as at 40, said aperture being arranged to fall in alignmentwith the apertures 30 .and 31 in the yoke and channel iron respectively,whereby both the valve protecting hood 26 and the regulator protectinghood 34 may be locked in closed position by a single padlock or otherlocking means 32.

The operation of my improved gas cylinder equipment is obvious. In theform shown in Fig. 1, the valve hood 10 and its supporting yoke 11 areslid upwardly on the channel iron 1 until the inturned lugs 12 areadjacent the notches 15 in the channel iron, and when in this posi-,tion, the tilting of the yoke causes said lugs to engage said notches,thus supporting the yoke and hoodin its uppel` position as shown indotted lines in the drawings.

A cylinder 3 containing gas or other suitable iiuid is then placed onthe concrete base 2 or upon the ground as the case may be, with its bead25 resting in the grooved support 23. The valve 4 is then connected tothe pressure regulator 5 by means of the exible conduit 6, saidregulator being properly adjusted to suit the needs of the particularinstallation and the protecting hood 16 is applied and locked in place.As before stated, this is accomplished by inserting the bifurcations 18in their complementary openings in the upright 1, swinging the hood 16down over the diaphragm chamber and adjusting means 8, and locking thelower end in closed position by means of the strip 20 and the connection22 on the gas pipe 9.

'I'he valve 4 is then turned on and the hood 10 and yoke 11 are loweredto the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, after which the lock 14is inserted in the proper aperture 13 to retain the hood in thisposition.

With the modied structure shown in Fig. 5, the operation is practicallythe same with the exception that the hood 26 and yoke 27 are swungupwardly on the pivot 28 to insert the cylinder 3, and .when theregulator is properly adjusted and the valve 4 turned on, the hood 26and hinged protector 34 are locked in closed position by the insertionof the padlock 32 through the registering apertures 30, 31 and 40 in theangular plate 29 of the yoke 27, the wall of the channel iron,l and theneck 39 of the protector 34, respectively.

My improved system of distribution of liqueiied petroleum gas or thelike consists in installing a complete demonstratingequipment at theresidence of a prospective purchaser, located for example in a ruralcommunity which does not have the facilities of manufactured gas orother heating means, said equipment including a gas range and eithertype of installation' described, but instead of the permanent pipe line,I preferably employ a exible hose or the like which is usually insertedthrough the window of the kitchen or other room to which the gas is tobe conveyed, where it is connected to the stove or other point ofutilization.

In this connection I have found it convenient to employ a strip of woodor other material cut 4to -t beneath a slightly raised window andprovvided with an opening to receive the hose 33,

thereby avoiding the necessity of marring or altering the structure ofthe windows or walls of a dwelling in the installation of ademonstrator.

After the demonstrator has been tested and tried by the' prospectivepurchaser for a predetermined period and it is decided to install apermanent equipment, this may be accomplished with a minimumotinconvenience to the customer and without interrupting the useof gasfor more than a fractionv of a minute. A complete set of equipment,identical in all respects tothe demonstrator set is installed in theproper place, preferably just outside the wall of the dwelling, thepermanent installation including a concrete base 2 for supporting thegas cylinder. through the wall into the house and when the piping iscompleted, the coupling of the hose 33 tothe stove is disconnected andthe permanent pipe line 9 is substituted therefor, thus trans# ferringthe source of gas flow from the demon.- strator to the lpermanentinstallation.

Arrangements are made for periodic installations of fresh cylindersy ofgas to replace those which are partially empty. The fresh cylinders areweighed before leaving the charging plant and partially filled cylinderswhich they replace are weighed upon returning to the plant, the customerbeing charged for the difference between the two ngures. I propose totime the service visits to the customer so as to insure the installationof fresh tanks before the gas in the old tanks hasA been entirely spent,thus causing the least possible inconvenience and delay in gas service,the equipment being shut off only for that period of time necessary toswitch from one tanh to the other.

Among the many advantages accruing from the employment of my improvedsystem and apparatus are the followingz 1. Substantial saving in oostover previous demonstrator sets and systems.

2. No special equipment or parts necessary for making repairs 'due tostandardization of parts.

3. Safer installations. f

4. Lasting qualities of equipment.

5. Minimum time required in installing a demonstrator set.

6. A prospective purchaser in seeing a demonstrator in use obtains amore satisfactory irnpression of the actual equipment due Ito the factthat the demonstrator set is of full size and in all respects identicalwith a permanent set.

7. Minimizing danger of leaks due to simplification of equipment.

It will thus be seen that I have designed a novel system of distributingliquied petroleum gas or other fluid and an improved apparatus forcarrying out such system of distribution.

From the foregoing it is believed that the construction and operation ofmy invention may be readily understood by those skilled in the artwithout further description, it being borne in mind that numerouschanges may be made in the details disclosed without departing from thespirit of the invention as set forth in thevfollowing claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A support for gas cylinders or the like including an upright standardhaving at its upper extremity a protecting device for the valve on saidcylinder, said protecting device being movable on said standard withrespect to ysaid valve, a pressure regulator housing carried by saidstandard and movable thereon to engage and disengage a pressureregulator connected to said cylinder, and means for locking sads valveprotecting device and regulator housing in position over the valve andregulator respectively.

2. A support for gas cylinders or the like including 4an uprightstandard, means carried by The pipe line9is then carried said standardfor supporting the base of a cylinder, a cap carried at the upperextremity of said standard and movable thereon for engaging anddsengaging the valve of said cylinder, a pressure regulator housingcarried by said standard and movable thereon to engage and disengage apressure regulator connected to said cylinder, and means on saidstandard for locking said valve protecting cap and regulator housing inposition over4 the valve and regulator respectively.

3. In a support for a fluid supply cylinder or the like having a' mainuid control valve, an upright standard having at its upper extremity avalve protecting device for the valve on said cylinder, said protectingdevice being movableA on said standard with respect to said valve; apressure regulator housing hinged to said standard and adapted to'engage and disengage a pressure regulator connected to said cylinder,and means for locking said valve protecting device and regulator housingin position over the valve and regulator, respectively.

4. In a support for a fluid supply cylinder or the like having a ma'fluid control valve, an upright standard, -means on said standard forsupporting the bottom of said cylinder, a yoke embracing the upper endof said standard and carrying at one end a valve protecting hood, saidvyoke and hood being movable on said standard so that the latter mayengage and disengage the valve on saidcylinder, and means for lockingsaid yoke. and hood in said valve engaging position.

5. In a support for a iiuid supply .cylinder or the like having a mainfluid control valve, an upright standard, means on said standard forsupporting the b'ottom of said cylinder, a yoke embracing the upper endof said standard and carrying at one end a valve protecting ioo 4hood,said yoke beingverticallly slidable on said said yoke being verticallyslidable on said standardso that the hood may engage and disengage thevalve on said cylinder, means forV lockingsaid yoke and hood in saidvalve engaging position, and means'for supporting said hoodand yoke in araised position out of engagement. with the valvev on said cylinder.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said last named meansconsists of n notch in one face of said upright, and a lug on said yokeadapted to-engage said notch.

8. In a support for a fluid supply cylinder or the likes-having a mainfluid control valve, an upright standard, means on said standard forsupporting the bottom .of-said cylinde a yoke hinged to the upper 4vendof said standard, and carrying at one end a valve protecting hood, saidyoke and hood being movable on said hinge so that the latter may engageand disengage the valve on said cylinder, and meansy hood in said valvevalve protecting device hinged at the upper extremity of said standardand adapted to engage and disengage the valve on said cylinder, apressure regulator housing hinged to said standard and adapted to engageand disengage a pressure regulator connected to said cylinder, andcommon means for locking said hood and housing in engaging position.

10. In a support for a uid supply cylinder or the like having a fluidcontrol valve, an upright standard, means for supporting the Vbottom ofsaid cylinder, a yoke slidably embracing the upper end of said standardand projecting substantially at right angles therefrom, a valveprotecting hood carried at the free end of said yoke and adapted toenclose the valve on said cylinder, means for locking said yoke on saidstandard to retain said hood in engaging position with the valve, apressure regulator protecting hood movably secured to said upright andadapted to engage and disengage a pressure regulator connected to saidcylinder, and means for locking the last named hood in engagingposition'with said regulator.

11. Apparatus as claimed inclaim 10 wherein said yoke is provided withinturned lugs adapted to engage the forward face of said standard toguide the vertical movement of the yoke.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said regulator protectinghood is secured at one end to the standard by means of a bifurcatedstrip, the bifurcations of which are adapted to engage complementaryapertures in the standard, the other portion of said hood being lockedin closed position by the fluid connection oi' the pressure regulator.

WALTER G. WATKINS.

